3D Printing. Soluble Cores and Forms.

Cores and Forms which Dissolve Away

3D Printing sacrificial Tools, Forms and Cores which are dissolved away after layup gives you innovative design opportunities with complex and hollow parts.

Soluble cores mean that hollow parts can be manufactured in one piece without a bonded seam. It's especially useful for fragile parts as the core is removed 'hands free' minimising any stress on the new part.

The process is fast, reducing the time from design to manufacture compared to traditional manufacturing, while the resulting tooling is durable, able to withstand the lay up process.

SR30 and ST130 Soluble materials

SR30 is the original soluble material with a temperature resistance of 93°C (200 °F) and is printed in 0.256 layers.

ST130 is a new soluble material and has been specifically designed and engineered for sacrificial composite tooling manufacture. ST130 has a better temperature resistance at 130°C   Build layers are slightly thicker than the SR30 at 0.33mm

Both materials are 3D Printed with a choice of interior matrix style fill patterns to give your parts the the optimum strength verses the time required to dissolve. SR30 and ST130 is dissolved away using a weak sodium hydroxide solution heated to 70°C.

Ultem. A high temperature tooling material. 

If you are making tools, cores and moulds, Ultem 1010 is an excellent material choice where you need to manufacture reusable, high temperature moulds, tooling or Mandrels. Ultem 1010 is also autoclave compatible, see the page here:  read more...

Coil forming. SR30.

A custom electrical coil manufactured with a 3d printed soluble form.

SR30 and ST130 Properties

ST130

• Cure up to 121 °C with no pressure (ST130)
• Cure up to 98 °C at 90 psi pressue (ST130)

SR30

• Cure up to 93 °C upto 50 psi
• CTE:11.7E-5 mm/(mm- ̊C)

Both:

• Dissolved in a weak sodium hydroxide solution.
• Default print of 0.254 (254 Micron) layers.
• Build volume - Maximum: 406 x 355 x 406mm

SR30 soluble composite tooling.

Soluble tooling examples in SR30, showing infill options. The courser infill gives you a faster dissolve times while the fine infill gives additional strength.

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